53. Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Three
Dacre
My heart nearly stops when I see her. The long, white, satin dress that hugs her curves and falls off her shoulders, the veil that drags after her. Her heels click as she descends the stairs, and her glitter is a mess on her face, as if she’s shed a few tears.
I reach out my hand, and she jumps into my arms.
“What are you doing here?”
“I told you I’d take care of you.”
“What about your grandfather . . . The fiancée?”
“The video you saw was footage from the night after the dinner. I never signed anything.”
“Mr. Everhart, please come with me to fill out the required paperwork and secure your payment.” An older man stands between us and the stage. The crowd is still buzzing from that little display, and so am I.
It has all made it worth it to feel her again, safe and in my arms.
“Hold on just a second.” I motion to him.
The instant calm of her skin sends chills down my spine as I cup her cheek.
“I need you to know . . . that I love you, and I’m sorry. I was detained, and I couldn’t get out, but every day, I thought of you. The only thing I’ve ever wanted in this life is you, and I’m going to prove that.”
Emma answers all my wondering and doubts with a kiss. My favorite answer.
“I thought you’d be mad at me,” I say.
“Is there a reason I should be?” She straightens my blazer. “Other than your reckless display of affection?”
“Just the train wreck that is my family. And for making you wait.”
“I’d have gone to find you myself if I hadn’t made that deal with your grandfather.”
“Mr. Everhart, are you ready?” the man says with a polite smile.
The auction has continued. They’ve moved on to the paintings and will then finish with the jewels. I should get her out of sight and far away from my grandfather and Liam.
“Do you have my purse?” Emma asks the attendant.
“Yes. Here you are, ma’am.”
I place my hand on the small of her back as he begins our escort. Emma wraps her arm around my forearm. Suddenly, all my past failures don’t matter as we intertwine our fingers. I’m a new man, and I have a responsibility to never let her doubt me again.
I won’t let her down.
We’re ushered toward the entrance of the tent and past the rows of seating and that bar I was waiting at with Luther. The crowd whispers as we pass. A few cameras flash, and I wrap my arm around her to shield her from the bright lights.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Liam blocks the way, just as the fresh outside air is within reach.
“I’d keep my head if I were you,” I say. “Not a good place to cause a scene.”
There’s a click of a camera next to my ear. His proximity has all my senses on edge. But he can’t hurt her here.
“I agree with that statement.” Parker nudges me from behind.
“Fame won’t save you from everything, Mr. Owens. You’re creating a lot of enemies.” Liam growls.
“I can handle it.”
He walks forward, and Liam grits his teeth before letting us pass.
“So disappointed in you.” Liam squeezes my other forearm as we pass and then disappears into the bodies behind me.
I know it’s not the last time I’ll hear about that.
My grandfather is likely seething and doing damage control with his friends.
Instead, I focus on Emma’s fingers wrapped in mine, and with every step, I try to inch her closer.
Occasionally, she glances at me, as if she’s still shocked I’m actually here.
Emma and I are escorted out of the tent and into Doxlothia Castle, where there’s another banquet and a smaller auction being held in the main foyer. We take a left and walk until we’re brought to a dark mahogany room with candles shoved onto every table. This must be the designated signing area.
“Here is the paperwork to complete your arrangement. Should you need anything, or if you would like to invite your lawyer to be present, I will be right outside the door.”
I offer my thanks, still enchanted by how Emma looks in that skintight dress.
“How . . . Where were you?” Emma asks as the door closes.
“My grandfather had Liam lock me up at one of the estates, and they took my phone. I . . . I’m so sorry, Em.”
She shakes her head. “I have something to tell you. It’s important.”
I wait while she fishes what appears to be a bent-up old notebook from her purse.
“I hated to damage it, but I was so afraid that it would get confiscated. It belonged to your father, and it has these journal entries in it about this girl. I don’t think your grandfather is the man you think he is.”
“Yeah, I know.” I take the notebook and press my hand over the worn pages. “That’s the lesson I’ve been learning. Liam said I was trouble, like my father.”
“He locked your dad in a room, too. And there are all these entries from your father. I think you should read it yourself. I tried to contact you because I knew I had to get this to you.”
“Liam took my phone.”
This is the final piece I’ve been missing.
Getting closer to Emma has me closer to the things I didn’t know I wanted all along.
I’m so close to figuring out all the secrets my family has kept and stored away, and for the first time since my parents died, I feel closer to them in some way.
The smell of the notebook feels so familiar, and even some of the handwriting.
But right now, all I can think about is how this beautiful girl is mine.
“Well, you’re about to be my wife. You can tell me all about what I missed tonight on our honeymoon.”
I pluck a pen from my breast pocket. I made up my mind the minute I heard she was going to be bid on at the gala. She’s worth more than the entire Everhart legacy combined.
“How much did you bid from your trust?”
“Most of it.” All of it.
“Dacre, what about your sister?”
“I warned her things might change . . . But I’ll make it work. If you let me, I promise I’ll be the best fucking contractual husband ever.”
She smiles with glitter all over her cheeks, squeezing in closer to my chest till there are no more inches left. I missed her smell.
“I know you would . . . But I can’t let you do this. If I sign this, you’ll lose all the money your parents left you, and your grandfather will get exactly what he wants.”
“Emma, if you don’t sign this, your arrangement with my grandfather won’t be fulfilled. He’ll have leverage over you, and that’s not something I’m okay with.”
He likely had her sign some kind of contract for this.
“I know . . . And maybe it’s crazy to think there’s another option . . . But I really want to tell you there is and to run with me.”
I stare at the wooden door between us. Only I know it’s not that easy. Nothing is. Can I risk her being in my grandfather’s debt?
“Please.” She wraps her hand in mine, bringing them to my chest. “Can we try?”
She’s right. I vowed to burn my grandfather’s empire to the ground, and this is the first step. I think this woman has taken many leaps of faith in her life, some of which have likely turned out, and many that have not.
I’m ready to leap with her so she never has to leap alone again.
“Then we’ll run,” I say, wiping some of the glitter from her cheek. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed I don’t get to call you my wife, though.”
“Promise me that this isn’t the only time it will be you and me in a suit and a wedding dress because if I’m being honest, that’s the only reason I’m still considering it.”
I answer her with a kiss.
Then I can’t stop.